Cascina Lieto, Croche Italy Sparkling Red 2022

Cascina Lieto Bianco Lieto is crafted by Japanese vintners Rie and Hiroto Sasaki in Castiglione Tinella, Piedmont. The winemaking follows natural methods with spontaneous fermentation in fiberglass and plastic vessels without temperature control, followed by aging in fiberglass barrels. The wine undergoes minimum two years of bottle aging before release.

Crochè is their take on a frizzante. Moscato and Cortese come from the vineyard on to which the estate’s overlooks. These are harvested separately and undergo a brief maceration on the skins in neutral fibreglass and plastic fermenters. Once dry the two wines are racked and left age separately until summer. In August 2021 a small amount of frozen Moscato must (5%) is then added to the aged (and now blended) wine and bottled without filtration. The wine re-ferments and ages in bottle until the following Spring. No disgorgement.

The name of this wine comes from the Piedmontese dialect, meaning “crunchy” in Italian.